If htey arn't building engines, fly around them, you get to choose your targets, let that be your advantage!

isn't that what Totot just said? lol

Not so, it's a legitimate strategy... you can lose a huge amount of your space by putting engines in, making those ships good for hitting soft targets, but not for actually battering down fleets.

Theres no need to put engines on defensive ships youre just going to park in orbit, and a good way to get the m0ost bang for your buck for defensive craft. I call them "defensive drones", and put them in orbit around border planets. Im not sure, but I think the computer does the same thing with dedicated defensive craft...at least, thats how Ive always interpreted the no-engine thing...except that sometimes it then tries to fly them around as well.

I've seen situations (in the beta) where I HAD to start putting engines on my ships to compete. I was using the first strike ability, and the Altarians were launching ships with engines (warp drives) I believe, putting me on the defensive, as really careful micromanagement is required to still get first strike when you're at a speed disadvantage. I only managed to hold them off long enough to win is because I did most of my fighting inside a super isolationist's sphere of influence. Technically, he was at war with me, too, but he wasn't putting engines on his ships!

That said, my fleets would not have been competitive if they'd had to cart engines around, too. They wouldn't have been able to kill enough ships in the first volley to minimize losses...

It has it's place. Especially when you're playing (or playing against) a first strike race, it is a huge advantage. However, the additional firepower that you can pack on without it is considerable... and not to be underestimated!

Once you have the tech, I'd recommend that you build two kinds of warships... a fast response ship, for one, is a tactical boon (the amount of firepower determines what it can do... a larger hull with the speed advantage can still serve as a warship against less powerful targets, but a ship with token offense is only good for hitting soft targets.) However, you still need ships that are capable of brute force, or you'll get crushed in early game by heavily armed starbases or technologically superior opponents. They aren't soley for defense...

From the sound of DA, I may not get it at all.
Super abilities that mess up the whole game, AI blunders, nerfed defenses and engines...

Quite a long list in the 'don't buy this now' category, and only a short list in the 'really cool stuff' category.

If I had spent the money to preorder, I would have been sorely dissapointed.

There was a lot of talk during developement about this to limit ship speed so the AI had a better chance. I thought at the time and believe I suggested or it was suggested to limit the number of engines that could be put on a ship not the size of the engines. I still believe the took the wrong option. Well I know for sure when they decide to allow me to download the game I paid for.

You're making the fundamental mistake of judging the expansion by an internet message board. Here's a hint, for every 1 person here complaining about DA, there are at least 100 playing the crap out of it that can't be bothered to pull themselves away from it to post about it. Hell, I wouldn't be if I wasn't at work. It's much, MUCH better than DL ever was, and you'd be missing out something awful if you deprived yourself of it because of whining on a message board. The AI is stronger than DA, the engines matter more (and I see the AI use them all the time, incidentally), and I still don't understand all the bitching about defenses (when I don't research them the AI kicks my ass with them, so they clearly aren't that worthless).